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Pay Equity is #Overdue Rally

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The Pay Gap

Pay equity for midwives is #overdue. In Ontario, women on average earn only 71 cents on the male dollar. This gap is more pronounced for women and trans or genderqueer people who face systemic injustice, especially those who are Indigenous, racialized, elderly, newcomers, or those who have a disability.

The pay equity gap for Ontario's most female-dominated profession, midwifery, is at least 48%.

Midwifery Care

Midwives provide evidence-based primary healthcare – prenatal care, labour and birth care, and care for the first six weeks after birth. Midwives provide care in hospitals, birth centres, in the community, and at home.

Women and trans people can choose either the care of a physician or a midwife for their pregnancy and only 4 out of 10 families in Ontario who would prefer a midwife are able to access midwifery care.

Midwives are an integral and integrated part of Ontario’s healthcare system and produce excellent health outcomes, high levels of patient satisfaction and utilize health care resources efficiently.

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario

In 2013, the Association of Ontario Midwives filed an application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario to address the ways that the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has systematically and consistently entrenched sex discrimination in the compensation structure for midwives and denied them the opportunity for a fair bargaining process.

We are expecting a decision on September 24th, 2018. Regardless of the outcome of the decision, we need your help to mobilize and work to right this historical wrong. Join us for our Provincial Day of Action on September 26th.

Call to Action

Join us in calling for pay equity for midwives. This is a call to action for all: equity-seeking groups in female-dominated professions are facing an upward battle for fair pay across all sectors. This is a call for justice. Pay equity is a human right.